


You Are My Light (That led me through my darkest times)

by ItsCamren



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (but better), (in a way), Afterlife, Angst and Feels, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I don’t care if these characters are dead I still want them to be happy, Jet (Avatar) Is NOT An Asshole, Jet (Avatar) Lives, Jet (Avatar)-centric, Jet and Yue souls live on idc, Jet helps Yue feel free, Moon Spirit Yue (Avatar), Not Really Character Death, Past Character Death, Past Jet/Katara (Avatar), Spirit World (Avatar), Unrequited Love, Yue knocks the angst outta Jet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:48:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsCamren/pseuds/ItsCamren
Summary: Jet and Yue meet in afterlife/spirit world.The chapter title is self explanatory. (And is also a song reference by Mother Mother.)
Relationships: Jet/Yue (Avatar), Jue (Avatar)
Kudos: 1





	You Are My Light (That led me through my darkest times)

“Don’t worry Katara. I’ll be fine.”

He forced himself to smile through the pain. He hated that his last words to her were lies.

* * *

Cold. He felt cold. Along with a strong crushing yet uncanny pressure on his chest from where his body took most of the blow. In all his years of fighting, he had never felt a wound hurt as much as this one did now. He didn't exactly know how to pinpoint the exact feeling, but there was enough pain that it made it too unbearable to get up or move.

But he knew that he was tired; tired of fighting. And desperately yearning to close his eyes, but also not wishing to give in just yet.

He tried to listen for Smellerbee and Longshot, and he thought he could hear the sounds of arrows shooting along with faint crying in the distance, but couldn’t quite make it out over the aches in his body and the ringing in his ears.

So he attempted to focus on his breathing, but even that basic task was proving to become more and more difficult to keep up.

It hurt. Living. And he supposed it always had, but now as he lied on the cold, hard pavement, once again beneath this deceitful city, trapped in the prison of his mind, he was reminded just how tough it was to merely _survive._

He wanted to get back up and finish the battle that he felt responsible for starting. Not just because he was the one to lead his old and new friends to this underground trap, but also for allowing himself to get brainwashed in the first place.

He was a self trained warrior meant to fight for those that didn’t have a voice of their own. And yet here he lied dooming his friends to fight by themselves.

He was a Freedom _Fighter,_ they saved kids who were harmed by the Fire Nation. Yet in an ironic twist, he was about to die in the hands of the Dai Li, due to Long Feng’s deceitfulness. An Earth Kingdom citizen and hid own kind.

This is far from how he’d pictured himself going out, but no matter how badly he tried to concentrate, he couldn't get his brain to move his body.

‘Is this really how I’m going to go out?’ He asked himself, believing to be all alone with his thoughts.

Then he heard her for the first time.

“Jet.”

A voice he swore he had never heard before, yet sounded so familiar, welcoming, and warm.

“Come to me Jet.”

The voice grew louder and as it did a figure approached him amongst the shadows. She looked as though to be a person, but also not?

Something... otherworldly.

Was she a vision? Another memory flooding back at him? Or was he simply hallucinating during his final moments as his mind tried to make sense of what was happening to him?

There’s no way anyone could have made it to Lake Laogai by themselves alive. And yet there she was — and she shines so brightly she’s all he can see now. For a moment she’s all that he knows there is in the universe.

‘She’s too beautiful to be real.’ Or so he told himself.

“I know you’re tired, Jet. Come with me and you won’t be in pain anymore.”

Could she be some kind of spirit? What does she want from him? Is she here to haunt him or help him? If he did join her, what would happen to him, and more importantly his friends? Would he ever be able to come back to them?

‘Should I be afraid?’

Though the soldier boy could barely move his jaw and his speech was slurred, he forced himself to speak.

“I- I can’t. I can’t just leave...” He gulped.

“It’s okay Jet. Let go of this world.”

How could he just ‘let go?’ He was a fighter damn it... He refused to go down this easily. Not when there was still a war going on. Not when people he cared about were still out there. He was going to keep fighting until his very last breathe.

“I can’t... I need to kn- know they’re okay... I need... to protect them...”

While he went Ba Sing Se to start a new life, deep down he wasn’t ready to leave his friends in the Freedom Fighters, or even the Avatar’s gang. He had just gotten some of his memories back. The ones of friends, his _family._ He still had to recall them all. Still had adventures he planned to go on. Still had things he needed to apologize for... He wasn’t just going to surrender now. He couldn’t.

Not yet.

But his body... It ached so badly. It hurt to blink. It hurt to breathe. To feel. Deep down he knew he didn’t have much time left, whether he admitted it or not.

As if the spirit could read his mind, she spoke to his concerns. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do about your body. But if you come with me, I can rescue you from your pain.”

A hundred questions flooded his mind. The first was: **Why?** Why him? Why must he leave like this? Why now? He didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. The next was **How?** How did this happen? It wasn’t supposed to end like this. And **What?** What happens next? What will happen to him, and more importantly to his friends? **Where?** Where was she planning on taking him? Where would he go now?

He’d cry if it didn’t literally pain him to tear up.

“Please... I’ve already m-messed up so many times in my life... how can I leave them? Longshot, Smellerbee, Pipsqueak... Duke.....”

‘Katara.’ He didn’t even get to apologize or say goodbye to Katara.

“No... please... I don’t want to be away from them. I- I don’t want to be alone.”

“Then I promise you, you won’t be. I won’t leave you, Jet.”

She spoke so kindly and her words sounded reassuring, but how could he be sure this spirit was telling him the truth? Everyone he had ever met all eventually left him. What made her any different?

‘How could a spirit understand the pains of leaving the people you love behind?’

No. No. No. He _refused_ to go out like this, not right now. Not when he was just starting to pick himself up. He had a life to live. He was just starting to live it and wasn’t about to let someone else rip that away from him, not again.

The orphan didn't know why he was so against dying. Just moments ago he had told Katara and the others to go on without him. Ready to sacrifice himself to save the life of her, the Avatar, and their friends.

Turns out it’s true what they say — facing death is much different from imagining it, because as the spirit stood in front of him the mere thought of dying filled him with, intense fear, which by now he was a master at disguising as stubborn-anger.

Clutching his fists much like that 8-year-old child who saw his parents die in front of him, he forced himself to speak as loudly as his body would allow him. He wasn’t going out without a fight, not this time.

“I can’t just leave now. I’m supposed to protect them!” He declared.

“This doesn’t have to be the last time you see them.” She responded tenderly.

’What? Lies... That idea is too good to be true.’

“How do you know?” He murmured, voice cracking, even she could barely make him out this time.

"Death doesn't have to be the end.” She explained softly. “Come with me and I'll show you. You'll be okay Jet, I promise."

He still didn’t know if he could believe this spirit, but damn it he was getting desperate. And her voice sounded genuine. Thinking back on his own life choices, he wondered where would he be if people didn’t give him a chance. (Or two.) Perhaps he could see what she meant by ‘joining’ her. And his body was only getting tougher and tougher to manage.

He spoke again, calmer this time. “First, you need to tell me where you’re taking me.”

She looked at him with all her sincerity. “I promise I will explain everything when we get there. Your time is almost up, Jet.”

He took a deep breath, pondering the idea for a bit before finally deciding to give in. All things considered, what other options did he have?

“Does it hurt...?” His voice had shifted into a whisper. “Dying?”

“Only for a second.” She smiled at him slightly and reached out her right hand to him. “Take my hand, Jet.”

The Freedom Fighter didn’t take her hand right away. Instead he closed his eyes, trying to steady his nerves. He was accepting his faith, but dying still scared him. Death had always been something that brought him pain after all. And in the end, that had not changed.

The last thing he felt was the hard cold earth below him and then the feeling of himself becoming lighter. Not his body, but still _him,_ being lifted off the ground and into her arms.

And just like that, no more pain.

“Are you alright, Jet?” She looked at him with concern when he seemed unresponsive. “Do you need a moment?”

“No. I feel fine.” He felt better than he had felt in weeks, months, perhaps years.

“Then, shall we go on?”

He thought about the world he was leaving behind. The same world that had given him pain and tragedy, but also showed him love. He decided he wouldn’t forget it.

”Yes, I’m ready to go.” He replied, taking her hand, not looking back.

‘I’m not afraid anymore.’

**Author's Note:**

> I always felt like Jet’s character arc was left unfinished. This is my attempt at flushing out his character a bit more and hopefully Yue’s too. Characters meeting each other after death is one of my favorite underrated tropes, and I love rare-pair ships so I just had to write these two together. I might add more chapters to this fic because there are still things I want to explore, such as Jet’s parents, both their pasts lives, and just exactly what Yue does as the moon spirit, so if it’s requested I’ll write more, but the fanbase for this ship is so small that I don’t know if there’s any demand for Jue fics...


End file.
